“Minor” fire controlled by local authorities:

A “minor fire” that broke out in a Samsung SDI plant on Wednesday in the city Tianjin located in northern China, had to be extinguished

According to the Samsung SDI spokesperson, there was no significant impact on the operations of the plant or casualties. The fire was limited to a part of the site used for waste processing, including faulty batteries. However, the local fire department was called.

Lithium batteries located inside the production workshop along with some half-finished products are what caught fire, according to the Wuqing branch of the Tianjin Fire Department.

Tianjin is the main manufacturing location for small batteries used in portable electronics, including the Galaxy Note 7 which was recalled twice after its batteries became a fire risk, leaving Samsung with a $5.3bn hole in operating profit.

Note 7 and Samsung’s woes:

Samsung SDI and China’s Amperex Technology supplied the batteries that caused the Note 7’s issues, according to Samsung. However, they are still due to supply batteries for Samsung mobile’s upcoming smartphone, the Galaxy S8.

Last February, Samsung SDI said in that it has invested approximately 150bn won ($131m) in safety. Manufacturers and battery supplies across the globe have increased testing due to the Note 7’s fires.

Some even delaying shipping devices with more advanced batteries in favor of older designs, which are tried and tested.

A new hope:

The Samsung Galaxy S8, set to launch on April 21st, is critical in preserving the company’s competition with Apple, their arch rival, and new comer Huawei. According to insiders, the Galaxy S8 will have an edge-to-edge infinity screen, iris scanner and waterproof design.